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The Voice Guy On KNBR ... and KFRC?

BossRadioDJ

BossRadioDJ

Occasionally in the morning (maybe two or three times a week), I'll listen to Dave & Celeste on Classic Hits KFRC 106.9 FM for a while, then turn over to Gary Radinovich on Theeeee Sports Leader KNBR 680 at 9 a.m.

Doesn't anybody else think that it's strange (or just plain dumb) that both stations, with different owners, use the same voice guy on their liners? I don't know what the guy's name is -- if I had to hang a tag on him, it would be "Snotty Voice Guy," because he seems to specialize in sounding obnoxiously snarky -- but now he's also showing up on KFRC promos airing on KCBS.

Since I'm in the target demographic for both stations (well, at least for a few more months) and considering the vast amount of talented voice people available, as well as the quantity of shared listeners between the stations, it makes very little sense to me.

(...That is the same guy, isn't it?)
 
Boss, you hit the nail on the head. SAME "snarky" voice dude. I feel he plays better on KNBR but maybe it's just because KFRC has him reading fortune cookies rather than liners (or so it seems, at times).

There was a thread a while back, when KFRC re-launched, about the voice guy. They had gone with somebody else at the initial launch (a 610 KFRC Alum, if memory serves). Shortly thereafter, the transition to Mr. Snarky occurred.

Anybody who does there homework will see that I've posted quite a few "less than favorable" opinions about the new KFRC. Do I feel I could program it better, yes! Will I ever get a chance, no. Is there a chance that they'll truly become "the spirit of KFRC" and not just the same 4 Elton John songs.... good question.
 
BnRinBayArea said:
Anybody who does there homework will see that I've posted quite a few "less than favorable" opinions about the new KFRC. Do I feel I could program it better, yes! Will I ever get a chance, no. Is there a chance that they'll truly become "the spirit of KFRC" and not just the same 4 Elton John songs.... good question.
Click to expand...

Disclaimer: I really like KFRC, and it's not just "brand loyalty"; if it stunk, I wouldn't listen.

That said (and I probably said it here before), I had lunch a few months ago with Production Boy and RickRadio, and the topic of too much Elton John on KFRC was discussed at length. After lunch, RR and I walked over to CBS World Headquarters for the grand tour.

The first artist we heard upon walking into the KFRC Sector: Elton John.

Coincidence? I think not.
 
Guys name is Brian James, he also does voicework for 102.5 KDON down in Salinas. Which is odd as it has a full signal into San Jose, so really he is on 3 stations in the same area.
 
I always thought the voice guy should be an exclusive kinda deal.

I mean, wasn't the idea to make it easier for listeners to
identify THOSE particular call letters by THAT voice (or that jingle)?

Or is it a better idea these days to (save money, ignore
the audience and) have SOME ubiquitous generic voice
reciting a VARIETY of stations' call letters?

I need a clue here, I have a mortgage.
 
BossRadioDJ said:
Doesn't anybody else think that it's strange (or just plain dumb) that both stations, with different owners, use the same voice guy on their liners?
Click to expand...

It doesn't seem like a very good idea. I identify advertisers by the voices. For instance, when I hear a certain woman's voice I think of some "oxygen pillows" and a bed store in Berkeley. If she were selling crawfish I'd still assume she was selling pillows and beds.

I'm sure I'd identify stations I thought I was listening to by the voices, too. I'd think this would result in wrong diary entries.

I wonder, was this a problem during the days when every major radio station had jingles, and most of them came from PAMS?
 
And let's not forget the "voice" of Mervyn's department stores is Katie Mason, (z95.7, THE BEAR, Alice Weekender talent) Wait did I just state that she has "talent".
 
"They had gone with somebody else at the initial launch (a 610 KFRC Alum, if memory serves). Shortly thereafter, the transition to Mr. Snarky occurred."

The KFRC alum was Beau Weaver, who is a major voice talent out of LA - doing movie ads and much more. I'm sure he makes big money, and CBS didn't want to pay it - especially considering nobody but a bunch of us radio nerds would make the connection. Though he was a clever jock, he's mostly a small footnote in Big 610 history - he was only on the station for a year or so. He does have the distinction of being removed as morning drive jock to make way for Doctor Don Rose.

"I always thought the voice guy should be an exclusive kinda deal. I mean, wasn't the idea to make it easier for listeners to identify THOSE particular call letters by THAT voice (or that jingle)?"

Generally, I think a voice guy's work will be exclusive within markets, but rarely between markets. I remember hearing the old deep voiced "106-KMEL" guy doing "Talk 650 KSTE" in Sacramento, and thinking that he should be talking about hip-hop, not news-talk. When traveling, I've noticed a few of the same people tend to get most of the work. Don La Fontaine (the old movie ad guy) does the VO work for all the "Old School" classic soul stations - Kiss-FM here, V-101.1 in Sacto, K-Ocean 105 in Monterey, etc. I think most, but not all of those are owned by Clear Channel. Bobby Ocean is all over the place, and particularly does Oldies and classic hits stations.
 
well atleast it isn't the star 101.3 VO guy doing all those 3 stations, now he sucks
 
Lkeller said:
The KFRC alum was Beau Weaver, who is a major voice talent out of LA - doing movie ads and much more. I'm sure he makes big money, and CBS didn't want to pay it - especially considering nobody but a bunch of us radio nerds would make the connection. Though he was a clever jock, he's mostly a small footnote in Big 610 history - he was only on the station for a year or so. He does have the distinction of being removed as morning drive jock to make way for Doctor Don Rose.
Click to expand...

See, this is where I disagree, and where I think that there is a good argument for tighter criteria in selecting Hall of Fame members. I happen to identify Beau Weaver a lot with KFRC (and I seem to remember him being there for more like 3 or 4 years). In my mind's ear, when I hear KFRC I hear Beau Weaver and Robert McCormick. I don't hear Frank Terry or Jack Friday. I hear Beau Weaver. He was clever with a one-liner, especially with inside jokes.

By the way, his website http://www.spokenword.com also has some useful information for anyone who thinks they can make a fortune doing voiceover work. I think he does a good job of setting the record straight. (I also admire him for keeping his long hair against what must have been monumental pressures to conform to the corporate world.)
 
Boss Radio DJ,

I think we spoke about the Voice Guy at that lunch too. I think he's OK for KNBR, But in my opinion, his tone is just a little to Smart Ass/Edgy for KFRC. I am told he was a former Production Guy at KFRC when they were a still Top 40 in the early 80's. He works out of Phoenix I believe.

Preston seems to be a fan though, he had him on the 99.7 KFRC too, just before they blew it up for Movin'.

What make an "Image Voice" work to enhance the "Image" of your station is some direction from the programers... "OK here is what they are going for." (Soooo, I quess that's what they are going for???)

Part of the problem I hear, is the material he's given to read. They really could use a writer who knows writing as it applys to radio imaging. But that will cost you a few bucks.

Right now, it just sounds like he's doing bad one liners with call letters attached.
 
Production Boy said:
Boss Radio DJ,

I am told he was a former Production Guy at KFRC when they were a still Top 40 in the early 80's. He works out of Phoenix I believe.
Click to expand...

Might you be confusing him with Brian Rhea?? (He's the Frys electronics tv VO guy). He DID work for KFRC years back, but I don't believe Brian James has ever been employed by KFRC other than his VO work.
 
"See, this is where I disagree, and where I think that there is a good argument for tighter criteria in selecting Hall of Fame members. I happen to identify Beau Weaver a lot with KFRC (and I seem to remember him being there for more like 3 or 4 years). In my mind's ear, when I hear KFRC I hear Beau Weaver and Robert McCormick. I don't hear Frank Terry or Jack Friday. I hear Beau Weaver. He was clever with a one-liner, especially with inside jokes."

You may be right, David Kaye - 440: Satisfaction lists him at KFRC from 72 to 75, when he went to KHJ, so it might have been as long as 3 years. I was in no way putting him down... I liked his act, and (believe it or not) was disappointed at first when The Big 610 moved Beau and his clever one-liners out of morning drive, for what I thought was the unbelievably loud and cornball Dr. Don, who seemed like a bad fit for San Francisco. Of course, like most people, I warmed up to Dr. Don after a few weeks once I found myself laughing like an idiot.

My point was only that CBS probably didn't want to pay Weaver big bucks to do 106.9 voice overs considering there were few listeners who get the historical connection to the Big 610.

And for those who are interested, here's the link to a Weaver aircheck brought to you by BossRadioDJ - year 1974
http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/audio/kfrc/index.shtml
 
Lkeller said:
And for those who are interested, here's the link to a Weaver aircheck brought to you by BossRadioDJ - year 1974
http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/audio/kfrc/index.shtml
Click to expand...

And here's a link to Beau Weaver's own Top 40 radio archive: http://www.spokenword.com/radiodays/archive.htm

Yes, Beauregard Rodriguez Weaver was only on KFRC for a short time, but what an impression he made on 14-year-old me. He remains my favorite DJ of all time. I was so sad when the "Beau Weaver show hit the fan."
 
Lkeller said:
And for those who are interested, here's the link to a Weaver aircheck brought to you by BossRadioDJ - year 1974
http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/audio/kfrc/index.shtml
Click to expand...

I'd never heard that aircheck before. This particular one is proof that KFRC during its golden era was not a rocker, but a Top 40 station. Imagine any station today playing Main Ingredient's "Everybody Plays the Fool", following it up with some nun singing, "Our Father Who Art In Heaven", then following it with "Last Kiss" (the car crash song). No station would do that today, certainly not an oldies station.

Beau is remarkably restrained on this aircheck. It's the least I've heard him talk ever.
 
bodacia said:
Yes, Beauregard Rodriguez Weaver was only on KFRC for a short time, but what an impression he made on 14-year-old me. He remains my favorite DJ of all time. I was so sad when the "Beau Weaver show hit the fan."
Click to expand...

Considering the time he spent at KHJ and the homage he pays to Charlie Van Dyke, here's a beautiful quote from him about KFRC:

Sitting in the control room of KFRC was like flying a 747. I never had more fun on the air than I did while doing nights in San Francisco...and being a pain in the ass of PD Michael Spears.

Michael took an already hot station and built it into unquestionably the best major market top forty station ever! There was magic in those rainbow-painted walls. KFRC was the coolest radio station in America. It never got any better than 610/KFRC!

And to think he was 21 to 24 at the time he did his KFRC gig -- what a voice!
 
blackhole said:
Production Boy said:
Boss Radio DJ,

I am told he was a former Production Guy at KFRC when they were a still Top 40 in the early 80's. He works out of Phoenix I believe.
Click to expand...

Might you be confusing him with Brian Rhea?? (He's the Frys electronics tv VO guy). He DID work for KFRC years back, but I don't believe Brian James has ever been employed by KFRC other than his VO work.
Click to expand...

No, I know Brian Rhea, and he was at KFRC too, then Brian became the ops guy when they became Magic 61.

This guy was there for a cup of coffee in 84 or 85...I remember all the hoopla about him because they were paying him a lot for a production guy at the time...I do know he did not stay long. It was in the last few years of RKO's ownership.
 
ty567 said:
Guys name is Brian James, he also does voicework for 102.5 KDON down in Salinas. Which is odd as it has a full signal into San Jose, so really he is on 3 stations in the same area.
Click to expand...

Returning to this topic, only because someone asked me about it yesterday: if we're talking about the same Brian James (still heard on KNBR's VO imaging), then there's this news from All Access:

ALL ACCESS is saddened to report that voiceover legend BRIAN JAMES has suddenly passed away from a heart attack at 4am this morning (3/6), at his home in SCOTTSDALE, AZ. He was 48.

Additional info at:

http://www.teddwebb.com/showcase/where_are_they_now/brian_james.html
 
No knock on any of the above, but in defense of Frank Terry, he was one of the funniest guys I was ever around. He OWNED the last KSAN country show. It was truly top notch major market radio.
 
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